Spawn of the Penitentiary

SPAWN OF THE PENITENTIARY
by Goron & Emile Gautier
adapted by Brian Stableford

cover by Jean-Claude Claeys

"It's not a matter of inheritance," the Russian scientist replied, "but of an invention, abandoned a hundred times over and take up again a hundred times. I've found the secret of the transmutation of metals, sought in vain by the alchemists. I can make gold."

US$32.95/GBP 22.99
6x9 tpb, 488 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-61227-137-8


Who is the Baron de Saint-Magloire? Coming from nowhere, he has quickly become the most prominent banker in Paris. Ministers and generals flock to his parties, and he has no equal when it comes to amassing money through speculations. But what is his relationship with Macaron, the dreaded anarchist, and Professor Sokoloff, a genius who has found a way to make gold?

From Devil's Island to the City of Light, by ways of the South American wilderness and Chelsea, this is the tale of the irresistible rise and fall of the charismatic Rozen, the first and greatest villain of the Belle Epoque...

After an adventurous youth, Marie-Francois Goron (1847-1933) joined the police and rose to the rank of Head of the notorious Sûreté, distinguishing himself in various cases which inspired him to write his Memoirs. His childhood friend, Emile Gautier (1853-1937), after joining the anarchist movement and being imprisoned, became one of the most popular science writers of his time. Together, they imagined this amazing saga, the ancestor of today's techno-thrillers and forensic detective fiction.

Contents:
FLEUR DE BAGNE (1901-02)
De Cayenne à la Place Vendôme
Pirates cosmopolites
Détectives et Bandits scientifiques
Introduction and Notes by Brian Stableford.

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